Family history

Here at the museum, we can help you find out more about individual soldiers who served with the regiment.

We hold the official war diaries for each battalion of the Green Howards during the First World War plus some war diaries for the Second World War.

Our Researcher works on Tuesdays and Fridays so please bear that in mind when visiting the museum or calling with a research query. Please book an appointment slot to be sure of seeing the researcher during your visit. On other days staff will do their best to help but may not be able to fully answer your questions.

Please note: There will be no family history research service available during June 2019, due to the commitments of the museum team member responsible for this area of work. If you contact us during this period, please bear in mind that we will hold on to your enquiry and deal with it when the research service resumes in July.

Accessing service records

If you are researching a soldier who served from 1922 onwards, their individual service records are held and controlled by the Ministry of Defence under their data protection obligations. The good news is that next-of-kin can apply for a record.

When contacting the MOD, you should quote the soldier’s full name and service number. Once you have the record, do come back to us again, we can help interpret its contents – they can be full of military jargon and acronyms. With this information we will be able to add contextual information regarding particular campaigns or individual actions.

We also have a wealth of supporting official and unofficial documents, which often contain unique information on individuals. For some periods of the regiment’s history we also have enlistment registers, records of births and marriages and punishment books. Personal memoirs, diaries and letters also exist from most periods. Our extensive photograph collection is also a great resource both for images of named individuals, and to generally illustrate a particular period.

You can apply for help to research your military family member by completing our research request form.

Try to include:

Dates of service

Regimental Number

Battalion

We aim to answer enquires within six weeks, but occasionally enquires can take longer.

Fees for research are used to fund the conservation and maintenance of the museum and its archives. The charge for an initial enquiry is £30, payable in advance. This is based on one hour of research for relevant information and the preparation of a response.

If you would like to visit the museum once the research has been completed to look at our documentation and go through the story of your family member within the wider context of the regiment’s history, please make an an appointment by calling 01748 826561. These research sessions are usually scheduled during the afternoon.

Conducting your own family history research

You are welcome to make an appointment to conduct your own research. Our research centre is open Monday to Friday 10am – 4pm (and on Saturdays by special arrangement).

Please contact us to arrange an appointment so that we can ensure any documentation you may need is ready for you when you visit.